By Rebecca Spiro & Molly Hetzner
During our last week in Cape Town, we were given the opportunity to
reflect on the themes that we have encountered throughout the semester.
Returning back to South Africa, we were expecting a similar experience to our
previous stay in Johannesburg, but we quickly realized this would be very
different. Not only are Cape Town and Jo’burg extremely different cities, but
we also realized how different our perspectives are after spending three months
in Windhoek. The themes we’ve encountered throughout this semester have focused
on the past—gaining a historical background of Southern Africa and apartheid,
and the present—studying the economic, social, and racial factors that make up
the political climate of the region today. In addition, our studies and our experiences
have led to dialogue about the future and the keys to developing the region and
breaking down a lot of these barriers. Much of what we’ve seen and heard in
Cape Town directly reflects the ideas we’ve been thinking about, emphasizing
the past, present, and future of Southern Africa’s definitions of freedom.
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| Lulamile Zozo Madolo, a former political prisoner on Robben Island, gives us a tour of the prison and speaks about the harsh treatment he and other prisoners received. |
South Africa has made tremendous strides since the peak of apartheid in
becoming freer for all its citizens, and that definitely came across in
listening to some of our speakers about their part in the struggle for freedom.
Our first day in Cape Town we visited Robben Island, the island that housed
many political prisoners during apartheid such as Nelson Mandela and our own
tour guide, Lulamile Zozo Madolo [1]. He talked about
what brings people together, and how important that was during a time of such
division. One example he gave was how meaningful it was to have Namibian and
South African prisoners playing football together on Saturdays. Seeing the jail
cells where the prisoners were held and hearing about the food and treatment
they received from their jailers really brought home how unjust the apartheid
regime was. It was nice to see what tourists generally see, but it gave us all
an eerie feeling of showiness. We missed the deeper and more personal outlook
we have been so lucky to receive this semester from people we’ve interacted
with in Windhoek, whether it be speakers, professors, or acquaintances. He used
the “we are free” mantra a lot and emphasized that now, under the constitution,
there are “no more Bantus, no more coloureds, all are equal before the law,”
even though we’ve seen numerous instances of injustice and inequality still
playing out today.
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| Noor Ebrahim, a founding member of the District 6 Museum, lets Cole read a passage from his book about being evacuated from District 6 under apartheid and his attempts to return home. |
Today the term “freedom” is used very loosely. Not only does the word
have multiple meanings, but when considered in a comprehensive way, it can hold
tremendous power. Although the South African Constitution may be one of the
most progressive in the world, it is evident that in the present day, some
South Africans benefit from its freedoms more than others. Blacks and coloureds
are still held back by various barriers, namely physical and economic. At the
District 6 Museum, Noor Ebrahim spoke to us about his own experience with
physical barriers left from apartheid [2]. He and his family—the
biggest family in District 6—were kicked out of their home into a coloured
township. District 6 was the city center that was so mixed ethnically and
religiously that the apartheid government saw the need to clear it out. The
apartheid regime designed cities strategically, and Cape Town had the ideal
geography to implement this control. The black and coloured townships are still
overwhelmingly inhabited by those races and characterized by higher crime rates
and poorer living conditions than in the white areas. Cape Town remains even
more segregated than Johannesburg today. In addition to these physical
barriers, Lucy Campbell, a Cape Town tour guide who specializes in Cape
Slavery, brought up the relevance of economic barriers [3]. We watched a three minute
introductory film at the Slave Lodge Museum that ended with a sentiment about
how South Africa had reached freedom, and she interjected that we can only find
peace and justice if we have economic freedom as well. This reflects the
realities of the historical oppression that has put the majority of money and
power in white pockets currently, and prohibits the majority of the population
from reaping the benefits of a free nation.
One of the keys to finding true freedom for citizens in any region is
community-based empowerment, and we’ve encountered that both in Namibia and
South Africa. Inherent in this form of empowerment is not only the freedom from
physical and economic barriers but also the freedom to reach one’s own
potential. In Cape Town, we visited two different churches that are focused on
community empowerment. The Way of Life Church is located in Khayelitsha, Cape
Town’s largest black township, with many of its inhabitants living in informal
shelters. Zimkitha Zilo, an active member of the church, spoke to us about
their multiple endeavors in black consciousness and its role in community empowerment
[4]. The church has been
acting as a community resource center during the week for two years, providing
community organizations from after-school programs to political parties to meet
there. They also run a Welcome to Hell March in aims of alerting the government
of the poor conditions of the townships and asking the question of what freedom
really is. In addition, she explained that their Pastor Xola Skosana makes a point of challenging
political and social realities in his sermonizing. Another church, the Central
Methodist Mission Church, is located near the city center and was historically
made up of coloured people previously from District 6. Today, it is a diverse
congregation, but the majority does not live nearby and therefore seem
disconnected from the streets. Minister Alan Storey asks, “How do we be a city
church for the city?” and tries to connect to the community in various ways [5]. They created Heaven
Coffee, a coffeeshop in their lobby that donates all proceeds to the vulnerable
of Cape Town and provides free refreshments for Alcoholics Anonymous and
Narcotics Anonymous meetings weekly. Along with community support, Storey has
made it a priority to look inwards and deal with his own privilege and powerful
position as an educated white man in Cape Town.
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| CGE students (left to right: Caleb, Cole, Melissa, Sarah, Jenna, Amanda), enjoying the coast of Cape Town on our last week in Southern Africa. |
This message is inspiring to us because as we prepare to go back to
the States we know that to bring these issues home, we have to deal with our
privilege along with them. Forms and evidence of oppression will look different
in the context of our respective communities, but definitions of freedom,
community empowerment, and self-reflection will be continually more important
as we fight for social justice and in our transitions back to being home. The
historical legacies and the current prevalence of injustice will fuel our
ability to advocate for equality in our own communities.
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